FINANCE, ADMINISTRATION, SERVICE,
ENGINEERING and GORMAN FARM
COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES
August 16, 2012
The Finance, Service, Engineering and Gorman Farm Committee met at 6:00 pm on August 16, 2012 at the base of the hill at the Gorman Heritage Farm. Present during the meeting were Council Committee members Hartman, Albrinck, and Schaefer. Also at the meeting were Rob Wight, Natalie Albrinck and a large number of unwelcome mosquitoes.
Gorman Farm
The meeting was called to discuss a proposal by the Farm Foundation to have a group of volunteers install fences on a hillside in the vicinity of the area being considered for the Evendale trail.
Rob Wight, representing the Foundation, indicated that the proposed fence project will be delayed until the trail locations are finalized. Rob Wight then presented a diagram of the current proposed trail locations. The volunteers will be widening the proposed location to make it passable so that the Farm Board and Evendale Councilmembers can tour the proposed location. Rob also indicated that once the proposed trail is open, the existing trails will also remain open.
The Committee was in agreement with the proposed methodology presented by Rob to finalize the trail location.
All there Councilmembers advised Rob that the residents of Evendale must continue to view the farm as an asset in order for the Council to continue funding it. The installation of fences or anything else that obstructs the walkability of the farm trails will adversely affect the ability of the residents to use the farm and their view of the farm as an asset to the community. Rob indicated that he first became interested in the farm by walking the trails and is aware of the concerns being voiced.
Councilmember Albrinck asked his wife to come to the meeting to reiterate that the installation of the fence in the upper meadow several years ago created a tremendous amount of disruption to the residents of Evendale who regularly walked the area. Councilmember Hartman added that in installing the fence, numerous trees were destroyed ruining the view from the rear yards of several residents. Councilmember Schaefer explained to Rob Wight that his understanding is that the upper meadow is now primarily used to grow hay and that the fence is unnecessary. The fence interferes with hay production and it is difficult to keep vines from growing on the fence. Councilmember Schaefer suggested that the volunteers be used to remove the upper meadow fence. Councilmember Hartman was on the board of the Cincinnati
Nature Center at the time it operated the farm. At that time, it had many more animals. The Gorman Farm Foundation has determined to reduce the number of animals eliminating the need for some of the fences. Councilmember Hartman also reiterated that the original idea of the Gorman’s was to preserve an area in Evendale to demonstrate to children how farming is connected to the food they eat. She hoped that the Gorman Farm Foundation does not lose sight of the original intent of the Gormans.
The meeting adjourned at 6:45 pm.
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Christian J. Schaefer
Committee Chairman
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